Committee sends concurrent resolution supporting receipt of federal adoption funds to print amid questions about federal strings

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send RS32271 — a concurrent resolution expressing legislative support for receiving federal funds for adoption education, adoption awareness and birth-mother support — to print and, later, to the full Legislature for consideration.

Senator Julie Van Orden (District 30) sponsored the resolution and told the committee the measure is intended to signal the Legislature’s willingness to accept federal grant dollars for adoption-related programs if federal grant language is amended to permit the activities the sponsor described. Van Orden said the state has in the past declined particular grants because stipulations in the grant language conflicted with Idaho law, and the resolution is intended to make the state ready to receive funds should federal language be changed.

Terry Markcroft, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Unplanned Good, told the committee her group and allied national organizations are working to expand adoption education and birth-mother support at the federal level and would like Idaho to be prepared to take funding if it becomes available. Senator Zanderfeld raised concerns about federal strings, asking whether the proponents would "thoroughly look[] through all of that, that we don't have to deal with that down the road, with possibilities of some strings attached or them slipping in something that all of a sudden that we have to comply with that maybe we really wouldn't want to comply with as a state." Ms. Markcroft said the groups working on the federal proposals plan to advocate to ensure the funds would support the adoption-education and birth-mother support the resolution describes.

Senator Wintrow told the committee she supports services for new mothers but said she could not support the resolution at this time because she lacks detail about grant language and because she wants the record to reflect balancing prevention and reproductive health programs; she said, "I'm gonna, right now, just vote no." The motion to introduce and send RS32271 to print was made by Senator Harris; the committee approved the motion by voice vote. The transcript shows at least one senator asked to be recorded as opposed during the vote.